The No. 1 Virginia Wesleyan University softball team (32-0, 14-0 ODAC) rolled past Guilford in doubleheader sweep, winning game one 10-1, and game two 9-1.
Game One:
In the circle, Hannah Hearl earned the win with three scoreless innings, striking out four and allowing just two hits.
The Marlins struck immediately in the bottom of the first inning. Laci Campbell led off with a single and stole second before Samantha Deitsch followed with a hit to put runners in scoring position. Morgan Tucker then delivered the first big blow, ripping a triple to drive in both runners for a 2-0 lead. Taylor McQueen kept the inning going with an RBI single to score Tucker and make it 3-0.
After a pitching change, the Marlins capitalized on a Guilford error, allowing McQueen to score and extend the lead to 4-0. Later in the inning, Karley Beltran singled to bring home Alison Pollack, capping a five-run frame and a 5-0 advantage.
Virginia Wesleyan continued its offensive surge in the second inning. Tucker singled to start the rally, and McQueen reached on an error that allowed Tucker to advance to third. Olivia Knight lifted a sacrifice fly to score Tucker, pushing the lead to 6-0. Moments later, McQueen scored on a passed ball to make it 7-0.
The Marlins kept pressure on as Haley Sadler doubled and Beltran followed with an RBI single to bring her home for an 8-0 lead. With runners still on, Deitsch delivered again, lining a two-run single to score both Beltran and Sarah Prosser, stretching the advantage to 10-0.
Guilford's lone run came in the fourth inning, when a walk and a throwing error allowed Logan Monkus to score, but the Marlins' early offensive explosion proved more than enough.
Game Two:
Emma Adams earned the win in the circle, tossing four scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and striking out four.
The Marlins carried their momentum into game two, using another big inning to complete the sweep and improve to 32-0.
After a scoreless first inning, Virginia Wesleyan broke through in the second with six runs. Olivia Knight started the rally with a single, and after two walks loaded the bases, Laci Campbell delivered an RBI single to open the scoring. With the bases still full, Morgan Tucker launched a grand slam to left field, driving in four runs and blowing the game open at 5-0.
Taylor McQueen then worked a walk and eventually came around to score when Alison Pollack doubled to the gap, extending the lead to 6-0.
The Marlins added two more runs in the third inning. Riley Curtice singled and stole second before coming home on a Guilford error to make it 7-0. Later in the inning, Deitsch came through again with an RBI single, scoring Campbell to push the lead to 8-0.
Virginia Wesleyan tacked on one more run in the fourth. After Cali Megaro reached on an error and moved into scoring position, Emma Orr singled to put runners on base. Curtice then reached on another Guilford error, allowing Megaro to score and extend the lead to 9-0.
Guilford scored its lone run in the fifth inning, using a pair of errors and an RBI single from Nicole Gumula to avoid the shutout.
